Are we beauty obsessed?

You know at some point you have asked yourself: Are we beauty obsessed? We have become a digital society of obsession, and although we have made a small amount of progression, the obsession with beauty has always seemed to remain on the forefront.

Recently, I separately polled both men and woman on a social media forum, asking the men If they prefer that women wear makeup or not, and why, and asking the women if they preferred wearing makeup or not, and why . Now I know what you are thinking; “We don’t need a man’s opinion of what we put on our face”. However, THIS is the very reason I created this poll. The fact is, internally I think we DO care because society has conditioned us too. Then I found out what I already knew: Men truly do not care what you do with your face. In fact they prefer you Ala natural. Here are some direct quotes of the men who were polled :

“In my humble opinion, it is not my choice and I would never even mention it to a woman unless asked. That said, I prefer Without. I get to see the the real person, and not a mask. I take a woman as she is, and don’t need or want make-up to change her.” -Jason 42

“ I like a natural look but whatever makes a woman feel good about herself” – Jim 79

“Don’t actually have any preference. It can vary; some people look interesting and more individual with makeup, whereas sometimes makeup looks artificial or even clownish.” – Jeffrey 36

These were just a few of the male responses, but they trended towards ” natural, no preference” , or “what the woman prefers, a small amount can look interesting”. The general consensus was woman are beautiful in their natural state, but ultimately it is up to them to make the choice. Not one male stated that a women SHOULD wear makeup, or looked better with it.

When I polled the women, admittedly I immediately got a much larger response, and although many preferred Ala natural, it was not because they felt they necessarily looked better like that, but it really helped to keep their skin clear. Equally, some woman felt they absolutely could not leave the house without makeup, and wore it religiously. We as women have been conditioned by society to look a certain way, although the men tend to say they like us Ala natural. We have gone so many years into obsessively having beauty standards thrown into our face, that we automatically feel we have to look a specific way. This is the part that needs to change. Here are some direct quotes of the woman that were polled:

” I only wear makeup onstage or on “special” occasions. I don’t mind wearing it, but I really dislike how much effort it is to take the stuff off! And I insist on taking it all off before bed.” – Elisabeth 56

” Yes, I always wear make up. It’s a comfort thing for me. I do not like my face in general, I don’t consider myself attractive, but when I have makeup on I feel people are at least not starring at my hideousness. Yes, i actually feel this way have for quite a few years, I am not sharing for the “ooo no you are pretty” things. I don’t believe those comments it is just how I have grown up feeling.” – Shawna 37

” None. My skin is very sensitive, so that’s the main reason, but also, I just don’t like the feeling of makeup. And I want to be able to rub my eyes anytime I want to, dangit! And, honestly, I think I look fine without it.” – Kelli 44

The truth is, the beauty industry has numbed women’s views on their bodies; making them feel as if they look wrong, or don’t belong. In the book Beauty Sick: How the Cultural Obsession With Appearance Hurts Girls and Women by Renee Engelyn, he says ” 82 percent of college-aged women report comparing their body unfavorably to a model’s body, and 70 percent of young women say they believe they’d be treated better by others if they looked more like the beauty ideal they see in the media.”

And I ask, humbly and truthfully so : How have we gotten this far with distorted thinking such as this? These percentages and standards have to change, and we have to be the ones to change them. We have to care enough to take action.One of my favorite quotes that pertains to this is :

” You are imperfect. Permanently, and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.” – Amy Bloom

There is only one you. Be it, joyfully. Don’t cover up, don’t give in to standards. YOU are the one that has to live with yourself, that makes you the boss.